Patacake
by MJ2705
Summary: Katniss isn't the only singer in the Mellark household. Just a little fluff that takes place after Mockingjay but before the epilogue.


**This is my first Hunger Games fanfic, I've written fic before but I'm definitely a little rusty. I've only recently been introduced to the wonder and amazement that is The Hunger Games Trilogy. I don't own anything except for little Ivy, she's all mine. **

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><p>"Mama!" The sleepy eyed little girl descended the stairs slowly; thumb in mouth and raggedy teddy bear in her chubby little hand. "Mama!"<p>

Peeta looked up from his spot at the kitchen table, recipes and notes scattered all around him. After all these years, he was finally making a cookbook of sorts…his father's favorite recipes, something he wanted to pass on to his own children some day. "I'm coming, Ivy."

"Mama?" Three year old Ivy Rose Mellark questioned again as she finally made her way all the way down the stairs. She looked all around for the person that she needed, her mama.

"Mama went to the market," Peeta said as he made his way to his little girl, who still should have been napping for at least another hour.

Ivy immediately stuck out her little bottom lip and closed her eyes quickly as she felt the onset of tears, "I want Mama!" She whimpered.

Peeta picked up his crying toddler and gently rocked her in his strong arms. He was surprised at the reaction that Ivy was having to Katniss being gone, normally she loved spending time with him…after all, she had been a daddy's girl since the day she was born. "What's wrong sweetheart?"

"I...I." Ivy struggled with her words as her tears continued to flow, "Mama!"

"Ivy, Daddy can't help you until you tell me what's wrong," Peeta attempted to soothe her by rubbing her back, just as his father had done when he was a boy.

"My…tummy," Ivy sniffled as she laid her head on Peeta's shoulder.

"Oh, does my little Ivy's tummy hurt?"

"Yeah, Mama make my tummy better."

"Well, Daddy can make Ivy's tummy better too. Come on," Peeta carried Ivy into the living room.

"But Mama always make me feel better," Ivy pouted as Peeta gently placed her on their couch.

"Well, who do you think makes Mama feel better?" Peeta asked his daughter, although his methods for making his wife feel better usually took place in the confines of their bedroom.

"You do?" Ivy questioned, unsure of the answer.

"That's right," Peeta grinned at the dark haired, blue eyed girl who still seemed reluctant of his help. "Here baby," he grabbed an old knitted blanket from the other side of the couch and covered Ivy with it. "I'm going to make you a special tummy tea that will make your tummy feel better. I'll be right back, you let me know if you need anything." With that, Peeta kissed his daughter on the cheek before hurrying down the hall and into the kitchen.

It didn't take him long to make Ivy's special tummy tea or ginger tea as it was really known. Annie had given him and Katniss a fancy teapot for their wedding years earlier. The Mellarks used it almost daily and today would be no exception.

"Daddy!" Ivy screamed from the living room, "I'm waiting!"

Peeta couldn't help but roll his eyes, his daughter was so impatient just like her mother, "I'm coming sweetheart. I was just putting your special tummy tea in your favorite cup."

"Otay!"

Peeta grabbed Ivy's favorite cup, the one with the pink hearts, and blew on the hot liquid a little more before he joined her in the living room. He couldn't believe that Ivy had a favorite cup…she had lots of favorites because family, friends, and even the citizens of Panem more than spoiled her. Panem still loved the Mockingjay and the Boy with the Bread and in turn, loved their daughter. Ivy seemed to be a symbol of hope to the people, even though she had only been to the Capitol once when she was barely a year old. When Peeta was a child, he only had a few toys and none of them were new, everything he got from toys to clothes to books were all hand me downs from his older brothers. But Ivy was different…all of the kids of Panem were different, never knowing what it meant to really suffer. Of course, there were families that were a little less fortunate but every family had a decent shelter, clothes, and more than enough food for everyone. Katniss and Peeta were happy that their daughter lived in a world where she did not have to want for anything but they also did not want her to be too spoiled so they often donated many of the gifts they received.

"Look what I have for you!" Peeta exclaimed as he sat on the couch and pulled Ivy into his lap, her blanket and teddy bear left behind. Peeta watched as Ivy carefully took her cup and took a sniff before brining it to her lips... he couldn't help but chuckle at his little girl's antics, did she think he was going to poison her or something.

"This is the tummy tea that Mama makes me," Ivy remarked before taking a little sip, making sure that it wasn't too hot.

"See, I told you that I would make you feel better," Peeta smiled triumphantly, he was more than just the fun and silly daddy.

Ivy shook her head; her dark braids hitting her shoulders and whimpered, "My tummy still hurts."

"Well, give it a few minutes sweetheart," Peeta leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"But Mama sings to me when I feel yucky too."

"Then I'll sing too."

"But Mama has a pretty voice and she knows all the songs in the world."

"You've got me there, sweetheart, no one has a prettier voice than your mama but I know lots of songs too."

"You know lots of songs too?" Boy, this was news to little Ivy.

Peeta nodded, "I do and I bet your mama doesn't even know this one."

Ivy looked up at her father, skeptical that he knew a song that her mama didn't know because her mama sang to her everyday, "Daddy are you sure?"

"Positive because…" Peeta stalled as he thought for a moment, "Because this is a special song just for bakers."

"You're a baker, Daddy!" Ivy knew that her Daddy was the best baker ever and she went to his bakery all the time. In fact, she'd had a bunch of his famous sugar cookies right before her afternoon nap.

"That's right, I am a baker and my dad used to be a baker. He taught me this song when I was your age."

"Are you going to sing to me?" Ivy questioned before taking more slow sips of her tea.

"Of course. Are you ready?" Ivy nodded. Peeta cleared his throat, ready to 'perform.' "_Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can. Roll it and pat it and mark it with an "I." And put it in the oven for Ivy and me."_

Ivy tried to clap her hands but found it difficult with her cup of tea so instead she screamed, "Yay! Daddy I like that song!"

"You did?"

"That's a good bakers song. My tummy starting to feel better."

"That's wonderful sweetheart."

"I think you should sing again."

"Oh you think so?" Peeta smirked.

Ivy nodded, "Uh huh, maybe my tummy will be all better if you sing more paddy cake."

"Ok, sweetheart," Peeta smiled before singing _Pat-a-Cake_ one more time. "Does your tummy feel better?"

"No, Daddy. Again!"

Peeta couldn't help but chuckle, "Why don't you finish your tummy tea and then I'll sing."

"Ok, daddy," Ivy quickly gulped down the rest of the tea.

"Ivy, not so fast!" Peeta couldn't believe she drank the tea so quickly, he knew that it still had to be a little hot to a three year old.

"All done, now you need to sing to me."

"Alright, alright." Peeta was about to sing when he had an idea. "Why don't you sing with me?"

Ivy smiled, flashing her little pearly whites, "Good idea, Daddy!"

"I'm just full of them, ok on the count of three, we sing. 1…2…3!"

"_Paddy cake, paddy cake, baker's man. Bakes me cakies fast you can. Roll it, pat and mark it with I. Put it in the oven for Daddy and me_," Ivy sang her own version of the famous age old nursery rhyme and Peeta tried his best to sing along but had a little difficulty with the changed lyrics.

"Beautiful my little Ivy, you sound just like Mama."

Ivy's face brightened and she grinned at the thought of being just like her mama, "You too Daddy."

Peeta laughed, hoping he didn't exactly sound like his wife when he sang. "How's your tummy sweetheart?"

"All better," Ivy placed her empty cup on the couch and turned to give her daddy a great big hug. "You're the best daddy in the whole wide world."

Peeta embraced her right back, "And you're the best daughter in the whole wide world," Peeta replied and meant every word as he kissed his daughter's rosy little cheeks. "Are you still sleepy?"

"Daddy, I'm not…" Ivy replied just as she let out a little yawn, "sweepy."

"Right," Peeta chuckled, "Come on, you need to rest, especially since you weren't feeling very good."

"But Daddy, you made me all better."

"I'm tired too, lets go rest in mama and daddy's big bed."

Now this piqued Ivy's interest, mama and daddy had the biggest and comfiest bed and tons of pillows. "Just for a little bit."

"Just a little bit," Peeta agreed as he stood them up and made his way to the stairwell but they didn't get very far as the front door swung open right in front of them.

"Peeta," Katniss whispered, not wanting to wake up her little girl, as she walked in the front door, arms full of bags. She was quite surprised to see her husband and daughter right in front of her.

"Mama!" Ivy exclaimed as she caught sight of her mother.

"What are you doing up, sweetheart?" Katniss questioned, glaring at Peeta.

"Ivy had a tummy ache," Peeta explained.

"Yeah, Mama! I had tummy ache and you weren't here to make it better," Ivy pouted as she reached out her arms for Katniss to take her.

"Mama has her hands full, she can't pick you up right now," Peeta told his daughter.

Katniss rolled her eyes; Peeta just didn't want her to carry Ivy afraid that the small toddler was too heavy for her as she was nearing her third trimester of pregnancy. "I'll put them down if she doesn't feel well. I should make her some tea."

"Mama, Daddy made me feels better!"

"He did?" Katniss raised a brow, knowing that Ivy liked to be comforted a certain way.

"Yes, I did," Peeta responded, was it really such a foreign concept to the women in his life that he could make Ivy feel better? Did any one in this house have faith in his healing capabilities?

"Daddy made me special tummy tea and Daddy sing the paddy cake song," Ivy grinned at her mother.

Katniss' grey eyes went wide, "Daddy sang to you?"

Ivy nodded her head quickly, "Yeah the baker song, paddy cake."

"Peeta Mellark, since when do you sing?" Katniss still couldn't believe it, never in all of their years together had she heard Peeta sing anything other than the Panem national anthem. Sure, he tended to hum when he baked but there were never any real lyrics to accompany him. Since the end of the war and the revolution, Peeta made Katniss do all of the singing in their house.

"Since Ivy told me that Mama's singing made her feel better too," Peeta put Ivy down on the floor. "Why don't you go play, Ivy, while I help Mama with the groceries?" He knew that he wouldn't be able to get Ivy to back to sleep now.

"Ok, Daddy. Kiss Mama," Ivy stood up on her tippy toes as Katniss bent down as best she could to kiss her sweet girl. "Hurry Mama, so you can play with me, missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetheart," Katniss said on deaf ears as Ivy had scampered further into the living room to play with her handcrafted dollhouse, courtesy of her Auntie Johanna. "Here," Katniss shoved two cloth bags full of groceries at her husband while she kept one.

"Gee, thanks," Peeta muttered as he followed her into the kitchen.

"You really sang to her, Peeta?" Katniss questioned as she began to empty her bag on the kitchen counter.

Peeta nodded as he joined her at the counter, "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because you never sing, ever."

"Well, Ivy's tummy was hurting," and of course he would do anything and everything for her. "I had to do everything just like Mama did."

"She's ok, right? Should I call my mother?"

"Katniss, sweetheart, she seems to fine to me," they could both hear her giggling to herself as she played with her dollhouse. "I'm not even sure she really had a tummy ache, I think she was just missing you."

Katniss shook her head, "I'm sure she did miss me when she woke up but she doesn't fib and you know that. I imagine that her little tummy ache was the result of too many sugar cookies after lunch, something she shouldn't have had right before her nap. What do you think?"

"Define too many?" Peeta asked, sheepishly before chuckling. He had vague recollections of sharing a plate…or two of sugar cookies with his daughter while Katniss went to check on Haymitch.

"Peeta!"

"What?" He had suddenly busied himself with inspecting the fresh fruit Katniss had brought home.

"We've talked about this before! You know that this is not the first time she's had a tummy ache from all of daddy's sweets."

"Ok, ok but you know she's irresistible with that little face and those little eyes. How can you say no?"

"Easy, you need to learn how to do it I don't want all of her teeth falling out before she goes to school."

"Well kids lose their teeth anyway, they grown new ones."

"You know what I mean. Stop sneaking her extra dessert everyday."

"Have you no heart, Katniss?"

"Oh stop and put that fruit in the basket."

"Yes, dear."

"So what made you sing Pat-a-cake to her?"

Peeta shrugged, "I don't know, I needed something to sing and…my dad used to sing it to me when I was her age…said it was special just for the bakers."

Katniss smiled and took Peeta's hand in hers, knowing that it was a special memory of the precious time he had with his family before they were gone. She gave him a quick kiss, not wanting to start something she couldn't finish with their young and impressionable daughter just in the next room, "Peeta…"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"So are you going to sing to me?"

"Only if you have a tummy ache," Peeta grinned.

Katniss grabbed her blossoming stomach, "I think you've done enough to my tummy," she laughed.

Peeta joined his wife in laughter and bent down, placing a gentle kiss on her stomach. "I'll sing to you, too, in a few months little one."

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading my little fluff, it was just a silly idea I had. A review or two would be much appreciated. Thanks!<strong>


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